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Show 148 PROF. G. BUSK ON THE TIGERS [Feb. 17, of its fur, of enduring the rigours of the severe winter in the former region. M. Alphonse Milne-Edwards describes his Felis fontanieri from the neighbourhood of Pekin as possessing much longer and thicker hair than the common species, and a remarkably bushy tail. But more important distinctive characters adduced by him are those presented by the skull: he states that in F. fontanieri the cranium is much more arched in the antero-posterior direction than it is in the African and Indian Panther, and that the brain-case proper is comparatively more developed, especially in width ; the fronto-nasal region is more elongated, the posterior border of the palate deeply notched within the tubercular teeth, and the opening of the posterior nares short and wide. As none of these characters applies to the Newchwang Leopard's skull as compared with that from Ningpo, it is clear that we cannot regard the former as F. fontanieri, A. M.-Edw.; and we may perhaps, in the absence of fuller information respecting the latter, be led to the conclusion suggested by M. A. Milne- Edwards that there are two distinct species of Leopards in China, both of which, according to M . Fontanier, are found in the neighbourhood of Pekin. In order to render the evidence clear upon which I have gone, I have subjoined a Table showing the comparative measurements of the skulls and teeth in the Chinese as contrasted with the Indian Tigers and Leopards*. I have also appended (Plates XXIV. & XXV.) odontograms, or graphic representations, of the dimensions and proportions of the teeth in the various forms-a glance at which will alone suffice to show how close the resemblance in these essential particulars is in the respective species, the slight differences observable being clearly merely individual variationsf. To judge from the figure of the skull of Leopardus chinensis, Gray (P. Z. S. 1867, p. 264), and the brief description accompanying it, that species would appear to have a strong resemblance to those brought by Mr. Swinhoe-the principal difference, so far as I can perceive, being the comparatively rather smaller size of L. chinensis. * Comparison of the various dimensions of the skull of F. fontanieri given in Table II. would lead to the conclusion that that species does not materially differ from F. leopardus. t The construction of these figures will be found explained in the ' Proc. Roy. Soc' no. 122, vol. xviii. p. 544. But to save trouble 1 would merely remark that each horizontal line represents the length and breadth of the antero-posterior and transverse diameters of a tooth, the latter diameter being indicated by the dark shade. The scale is divided into 5\j018 of an inch (0"05). |
